If Star Wars Celebration Japan is any indication, fans are in for a treat with upcoming animated Star Wars projects. Athena Portillo, Vice President of Animation at Lucasfilm, provided an exclusive interview with IGN, shedding light on two highly anticipated series: the newly announced Tales of the Underworld and Maul: Shadow Lord.
Portillo expressed her enthusiasm about collaborating with Sam Witwer, the voice behind Darth Maul, in developing Maul: Shadow Lord. "Sam was deeply involved in crafting the character's depth and lore, working closely with our head writer and supervising director," she shared during the event. "Together with Lucasfilm's CCO Dave Filoni, who co-created the character, Sam reviews scripts, watches whip reels, and provides valuable input on everything from color to character development."
This isn't the first time we've encountered Darth Maul, but Maul: Shadow Lord promises to explore his story like never before. Portillo humorously likened Maul to iconic horror figures like Michael Myers or Jason Voorhees, noting, "Like you keep killing them, but they keep coming back. There is that threat that's there, right? I mean, it's Star Wars, right? So Darth Maul has passed away so many times, but he does keep coming back. ...We are diving into Maul’s history and we get to jump into that in the stories."
How Darth Maul Went From Supporting Villain to Star Wars Icon
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Portillo emphasized the significant upgrades in production quality for Lucasfilm Animation, particularly in areas like "the animation, the lighting, the effects, the matte paintings, the lighting concepts, the assets." She highlighted how, post-Covid, Dave Filoni challenged the team to step out of their comfort zones. "Being uncomfortable is a good feeling, and it leads you to greater things. So, create something that is an upgrade of what we're used to doing," she quoted Filoni. This led to improvements in animation styles, body mechanics, facial animations, and lighting. After viewing an episode, Filoni remarked, "Wow, you guys, you are actually creating cinema," praising the team's achievements with the series.
Portillo confirmed that Maul: Shadow Lord represents a significant upgrade from previous projects like The Bad Batch and Tales of the Underworld, with a planned release in 2026.
Tales of the Underworld will delve into the lives of Asajj Ventress and Cad Bane, offering three episodes for each character, totaling six. Ventress's storyline will focus on her resurrection by Mother Talzin and her subsequent journey with a young boy, leading to a relationship story across the three shorts.
Ventress's narrative picks up from the Dark Disciple novel, with Portillo confirming its canonical status. "My favorite part of that is the whole Quinlan Vos and Ventress connection. When the fans saw that, and when he said, 'I will always love you,' it blew everyone away," she noted. The series will explore Ventress's internal struggle and her path forward, introducing a character who helps her find balance.
Both Tales of the Underworld and Maul: Shadow Lord promise to expand the Star Wars universe in exciting ways. Tales of the Underworld is set to premiere on Disney+ on May 4, 2025, while fans eagerly await further details on the release of Maul: Shadow Lord.
